A fabric top for a convertible vehicle includes, in sequence: an outer cover layer, an insulating layer, an absorber layer and an inner cover layer. The absorber layer at 500 hz has an absorption coefficient of 10 to 65%, at 1000 hz has an absorption coefficient of 15 to 110%, at 2000 hz has an absorption coefficient of 33 to 115%, at 4000 hz has an absorption coefficient of 60 to 110% at 8000 hz has an absorption coefficient of 85 to 120%.

The invention relates to an immunogenic composition comprising influenza virus antigens derived from at least 5 influenza virus strains and one or more compounds of formula (I) or physiologically acceptable salts or esters thereof: wherein: R.sub.1 represents hydrogen or C.sub.1-6 alkyl; R.sub.2 represents C.sub.1-6 alkyl; and R.sub.3 represents C.sub.1-6 alkyl. The invention also relates to methods of preparing the immunogenic composition, to pharmaceutical and vaccine compositions comprising the immunogenic composition and to use of the immunogenic, pharmaceutical and vaccine compositions for preventing influenza virus infection.

Modified influenza virus neuraminidases are described herein that improve viral replication, thus improving the yield of vaccine viruses. Expression of such modified neuraminidases by influenza virus may also stabilize co-expressed hemagglutinins so that the hemagglutinins do not undergo mutation or decrease the need for HA binding to cells.

Provided is a production method for reassortant influenza virus having genome segments of two or more kinds of influenza virus in the case where an antigenic strain and donor strain have similar antigenicities. The production method makes use of the first influenza virus containing an antigenic protein, the second influenza virus having an antigenic protein having antigenicity similar to that of the strain, and the third influenza virus having an antigenic protein having antigenicity different from that of the strain, and includes the steps of: coculturing the strain and the strain by infecting a host therewith, to produce reassortant influenza viruses; selecting influenza virus having the antigenic protein from the viruses; then coculturing the strain and the selected strain by infecting a host therewith; and selecting influenza virus having the antigenic protein from reassortant influenza viruses produced from the strain and the strain.

This invention relates to adjuvant formulations comprising various combinations of triterpenoids, sterols, immunomodulators, polymers, and Th2 stimulators; methods for making the adjuvant compositions; and the use of the adjuvant formulations in immunogenic and vaccine compositions with different antigens. This invention further relates to the use of the formulations in the treatment of animals.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing an influenza working virus seed stock, a method of increasing infectivity of an influenza working virus seed stock, a method of preparing an influenza vaccine using the seed stock, an influenza vaccine prepared by the method, and an influenza working virus seed stock having increased infectivity.

An isolated recombinant influenza virus is provided having PA, PB1, PB2, NP, NS, M, NA and HA viral segments, wherein the PB1 viral segment encodes a PB1 with a residue other than isoleucine at position 711 or the M viral segment encodes a M1 with a residue other than methionine at position 128, wherein the recombinant influenza virus has enhanced replication relative to a corresponding influenza virus having a PB1 viral segment that encodes a PB1 with an isoleucine at position 711 or having a M viral segment that encodes a M1 with methionine at position 128, as well as methods of making and using the virus.

The present invention relates to a continuous porcine cell line that is capable of proliferating in medium free of animal-derived components. Further, the present invention relates to a method for producing a virus using said cell line and a virus obtainable by said method. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for accumulating a virus from an environmental sample using said cell line and a virus obtainable by said method.

Disclosed is an adapted Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line capable of suspension culture in the absence of serum, and a chemically-defined medium for culture of the adapted MDCK cell line. Further disclosed are culture methods for growing the adapted MDCK cell line and methods for producing a vaccine from the adapted MDCK cell line grown in the chemically-defined medium.

The invention provides a carrier and a method for obtaining, removing, or detecting extracellular membrane vesicle or virus present in a sample. In particular, the invention provides (a) a carrier (a Tim carrier) on which a protein (a Tim protein), selected from a T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule-4 (a Tim-4) protein, a Tim-3 protein, and a Tim-1 protein, is bound; (b) a method for obtaining the extracellular membrane vesicle or the virus in the sample; (c) a method for removing the extracellular membrane vesicle or the virus in the sample; (d) a method for detecting the extracellular membrane vesicle or the virus in the sample; (e) a kit for capturing the extracellular membrane vesicle or the virus, comprising the Tim carrier; and (f) a kit for capturing the extracellular membrane vesicle or the virus, comprising a reagent containing the Tim protein and a reagent containing the carrier.